How Informal Approaches and Terminology Can Influence the Formal Training of Professionals

Youth workers across the United Kingdom utilise varied terminology when referring to the professional practice of youth work, in both formal and informal spaces. A lack of formal approaches to terminology across the youth work sector is having a detrimental impact on the way in which youth work is both taught and perceived by stakeholders outside of the sector. Consequently, this article strives to build upon previous research exploring professional maturity in youth work, focusing on the role that informal language and terminology, standardised or not, might play in the formal training and development of youth work practitioners. This is achieved within the context of professionalism in youth work, wherein consideration is given to youth work in bottom-up (social change movements) and top-down (university accreditation and government recognition) approaches.